As well as congratulating Mr and Mrs Rees-Mogg on adding to their brood, we might also applaud them on the name chosen for the bairn. He is baby number six, and therefore called Sixtus. However, the name also reminds us of a particularly interesting cast of characters in Catholic, particularly papal, history.
Sixtus IV, who reigned from 1471 to 1484, does a good job of summing up how brilliant and misguided a single pope could be. You turn Rome into a Renaissance city, build the Sistine Chapel, and establish the Vatican archives, but also find time to become chaotically distracted by furthering your family interests.
